When Aliens Attack
| guests = | writer =Ken Keeler | storyboards =John Mathot, Shawn Murray | preceded_by ="Mars University" | followed_by ="Fry & the Slurm Factory" }} "When Aliens Attack" is the twelfth episode of production Season One and the third episode of broadcast Season Two of Futurama. It originally aired in North America on November 7, 1999. Plot The episode opens in the year 1999, with Fry making a pizza delivery to the control booth of WNYW, New York's real Fox affiliate. While there, Fry spills beer on the console, interrupting the broadcast of Single Female Lawyer, a spoof of "Ally McBeal." As the technician panics and tells Fry, "Oh, my God! You knocked FOX off the air!" Fry ominously states, "Like anyone on Earth cares." The camera pulls back from the broadcast tower, away from Earth, and through the depths of space, settling on Omicron Persei 8, a thousand light-years away and a thousand years later. Incensed that they do not get to see the end of the episode, the Omicronians launch an invasion fleet. Back on Earth, the Planet Express crew decides to take a trip to Monument Beach, where most of the world's monuments have stood since the 27th century. A spaceship then lands on the beach as Lrrr, ruler of Omicron Persei 8, demands that the Earth produce "the one called McNeal". President McNeal, fearing for his own safety, orders Zapp Brannigan to lead an assault against the alien invaders. Instead, the Hubble Space Telescope gets blown up. After the attack ends in disaster, Earth's government hands President McNeal over to Lrrr. Lrrr announces that he is the wrong McNeal, and vaporizes the President. Lrrr shows the world a photo of the McNeal they want, and Fry recognizes her as Jenny McNeal, the title character of Single Female Lawyer. The Omicronians demand the broadcast of the television show, or they will destroy the Earth. Unfortunately, most videotapes were destroyed in 2443, during the second coming of Jesus. The Planet Express crew decides to fake the show in order to save the world. Fry's script comes up short, and Leela, as Jenny, is forced to improvise. She proposes marriage to the judge (played by Professor Farnsworth). An aggravated Fry tells Bender, who is the camera, to go to commercial. Fry tells Leela that people don't watch TV for clever and unexpected situations because they scare them, and Lrrr makes a public statement backing up Fry's assertion. Fry quickly writes an ending where the judge dies, leaving Jenny McNeal as a single female lawyer. The Omicronians, satisfied with the ending, leave Earth to watch a one thousand year old Jay Leno monologue, saying the show was good enough for them to spare the planet, though not good enough for them to give humans their secret to immortality. Fry states that the secret to a successful television show is that everything ends up back to normal at the end of each episode. Ironically, the camera pans out to a view of New New York burning in ruins. Category:Articles in need of a re-write Category:Episodes Category:Season 1 Category:Zapp Brannigan episodes Category:Fry Episodes Category:Lrrr Episodes